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Great Old Ones
/ Great Old Ones / Many-Angled Ones | Aliases = Elder Gods, Elder gods, "elder gods" (see notes), Elder Beings, Elder Ones, (see the Elder Ones' page) Outsiders, great old ones Ancient Ones, True Faeries, Many Angled Ones, Undying Ones, Dark Ones, Dark Gods, dark gods, Nameless Old Ones, Nameless Dark Gods, "Chthonic entities" "Chthonic gods", "Lovecraftian gods"; possibly Primal Gods, Nameless Ones; Elder Demon Gods (possibly erroneously) ---- Ra, God ---- Ancients (see notes) | EditorialNames = | Identity = Secret | Affiliation = Led by Shuma-Gorath, True Faery King Oberoth'm'gozz, Sehdoula (Yog-Sothoth) ---- Worshiped and/or served by the Unforgiven Dead, Broodlings of Chthon, many denizens of the Cancerverse (Earth-10011) (including Lord Mar-Vell, the Undying Lord, the Revengers, the Defenders, the Ex-Men, the Fhtaghn Four, Crystal, the Kree), Reimos, many others; ---- Allies of the Sentry (Void); ---- Franklin Richards (Cancerverse) (host); ---- Several worships of individual Old Ones | Universe = Multiverse | BaseOfOperations = Earth-616; possibly R'lyeh; formerly Vanaria; Zemizar, Zamora; Xuthal; ---- Earth-10011 (Cancerverse); ---- N-Zone ---- other dimensions, Outer Dark | BodyType = Variable | AvgHeight = Variable | AvgWeight = Variable | Eyes = Variable | Hair = Variable | Skin = Variable | NumberOfLimbs = Variable | NumberOfFingers = Variable | NumberOfToes = Variable | SpecialAdaptations = | UnusualFeatures = | Origin = Various origin (see origins) but mostly "Extradimensional demonic" beings (see origin); demon gods; True Faeries Category:Races of DemonsCategory:Races of Deities | GalaxyOfOrigin = | StarSystemOfOrigin = | HomePlanet = | PlaceOfBirth = | Creators = H.P. Lovecraft; Grant Morrison; Wally Wood | First = (Beast-God, as the Old Ones) (Mentioned as the Dark Ones) (Mentioned as the Many-Angled Ones) | Overview = The Old Ones are ancient eldritch beings predating Earth and even, for some of them, the universe itself. Many Old Ones dwelt on Earth in the distant past. They are also known as the "Great Old Ones", "Many-Angled Ones", "Elder gods", "Elder Ones", "Outsiders", "Dark Ones", or "dark gods" (to add to the confusion, other groups have also been known as "Elder Ones", "Dark Gods" or "Elder Gods", and even "Old Ones"). They were led by a certain number of Old Ones, including Shuma-Gorath, True Faery King Oberoth'm'gozz, and Yog-Sothoth, as Sehdoula, while both Shuma-Gorath and Chthon were considered the greatest of the Old Ones. The hierarchy among the Old Ones, if any, is currently unknown. Many ancient books mentions them and specifically (sometimes strictly) Shuma-Gorath, including Unausprechlichen Kulten, the Thanatosian Tomes, and the Black Sea Scrolls. In Earth-616, modern author Lovecraft wrote on the subject of the Old Ones, about the True Faeries, while his Earth-1610 counterpart wrote at least on the subject of Zvilpogghua and the great old ones. | HistoryText = Origin Despite being sometimes described as a race and to have common elements in origin, there is no evidence that the Old Ones are one and the same race. The origins of the Old Ones are unclear, and various: * They have been described as "extradimensional demonic" beings. ** The Many-Angled Ones were described as primordial cosmic entities that inhabited the spaces between universes. They were reported as the memory-echoes of the nightmares that plagued the first Daemons, but there were ancient, pestilential ghoul-worlds in dying realities still devoted to their worship. They were documented as the first beings ever to grow old. * The Old Ones were described as "primordial beasts" made of antimatter, and to be the embodiment of nothingness, absence of meaning, and thus evil beings. * Asteroth claimed to had been born from the Chaos of creation, and to be "the blood and tears of the Universe". It is known that she belonged to a race of cosmic beings. * The True Faeries were stated to be the Old Ones Lovecraft wrote about. * Despite the general "extradimensional" origin, some Old Ones are known or hypothesized to be originated from Earth: ** Some of the Elder Gods of Earth have been told to be Old Ones: *** Chthon was considered to be the greatest of the Old Ones. *** Satha, a name of Set, was known as Satha the Old One. ** it was theorized that the aquatic monster Dagon was an Old One, and that he was Ea, an Annunaki. A few groups of beings named Old Ones have been identified seemingly as seemingly consistent species: * The star-headed Old Ones were a species that came from space and established themselves on Earth, building massive cities. * The True Faeries are a species of squid-headed, insect-winged humanoid, wrote about in the Modern Age as the Old Ones. They were led by a certain number of Old Ones, including Shuma-Gorath, True Faery King Oberoth'm'gozz, and Yog-Sothoth, as Sehdoula, while Chthon was considered the greatest of the Old Ones. The hierarchy among the Great Old Ones is currently unknown. The Ancients, a similar group, may (or may not) be contemporary with, or a sub-set of the Old Ones. Prehistory and distant past According to lore, the Old Ones populated all existence before the act of creation. The Nameless Old Ones allegedly ruled the universe a billion eons before the birth of Gayomar, the first of all men. Shuma-Gorath and other Old Ones came million years ago. The Elder Ones dwelt on Earth before man (or before man climbed down from the trees, and became man) including in ancient Kush where they reigned over all. The Old Ones ruled the Earth and feasted on the ape-men. They were known to love fire, blood, degradation, sacrifice and death, all which the mortals were utterly willing to give them. The Old Ones (as well as the Great Race of Yith) partially wrote the Pnakotic Manuscripts. They also created the Wings of Needless Sorrow, an energy-absorption and -redirection device with also negative impact on people's moral, and brought to Earth the Shining Trapezohedran. During their time on Earth, the Elder Ones came to possess or create various artifacts of power, including the Gem of Earth Fire, and the Crystal of the Elder Ones. Some of those would eventually be retrieved by men. In their time, the demon N'Garthl walked the Earth, while man was "but a cowering pawn in the shadow of creatures vile beyond imagining". Disappearance Many events are told to have been the cause to the disappearance of most of the Old Ones from Earth and the Universe: * On Earth: ** More than 1 million years ago, 's Set's entry, while picture the pre-humans who benefited from Sise-Neg going through the First Host}} Shuma-Gorath was banished from the Earth-realm by the time-traveling sorcerer Sise-Neg, along with allegedly "all of the Old Ones". ** 1 million years ago, two groups of gods fought. One side, led by Chthon, lost, and were banished away. ** Many others existed on Earth or were summoned, but most of those were slain or driven off, stated to slumber in the sea, waiting to reawaken. ** During a vision, Victoria Montesi, the daughter of Chthon, stated that the Old Ones were consumed, though the statement was made without any context. ** At an unknown point, the Old Ones, possibly including Cthulhu, were reborn in a different form, into one simple spiritual entity, the source of all persecution, toxic pride and true depravity: God when his name was invoked in hatred. They assumed various identities, including Ra, prayed by the Egyptians for him to keep the slaves in line and themselves wealthy. When the name "God" was invoked in hatred, the ignrant fueled the word's opposite meaning. This tale was told in opposition to the Old Ones fleeing to an alternate dimension, although it is established many did, under different circumstances. ** Man eventually wrestled control of the planet from the last of the Elder Ones, after the Final Battle with the Elder Gods. ** The Elder Ones left this world for another of their own making. Behind them, left a resonance of their power, described as "an echo of a death scream". That story was recounted in the Chronicles of Magnus Tel Shek and the Book of Ages Past. ** The star-headed Old Ones living in the Mountains of Madness, in Leng, were killed by their slaves, the Shoggoths. * Asteroth was exiled by her own race into a "cosmic Hell". * In Earth-1610, Zvilpogghua was allegedly cast into "The Abyss", the N-Zone, by the ancestors of Atlantis and the Old Gods. After that, many Old Ones remained in their new locations, some inactive, others being summoned or trying to pierce the dimensional barriers of their prisons: * Some of the Old Ones were stated to slumber in the sea, waiting to reawaken. * After fleeing to an alternate dimension, the Old Ones dwelt behind the Gate, seeking Earth's dimension to infest humanity. The Gate could only be opened if Yagotha, the Guardian of the Gate, an ancient and horrible being, would turn the key. ** Asteroth remained for eons in her "cosmic Hell", while, in Earth-1610, Zvilpogghua was trapped in "The Abyss", the N-Zone. ** The Elder Ones left this world for another of their own making. Despite the general disappearance of many Old Ones from activity (through death, extradimensional removal, slumber) due to the various events mentioned up here, part of them remained present and active on the Earth plane. Soon, at the dawn of civilization, Hanuman, Sorcerer Supreme of the House of Xal, and "king" of the shamans of his era acquired the Crystal of the Elder Ones. Pre-Cataclysmic Age 28,500 BC Others, such as, circa 28,500 BC or before, in the hills of Zalgara of Valusia in the middle of summer, an unnamed sorcerer sacrificied seven goats (with Tyre's goat, Devil Butt, last) in the name of the Black Beast of Hell with its Thousand Young to Yagotha, the Guardian of the Gate, to make him turn the key, intending to have the Old Ones do his binding. The sorcerer was killed but not before a frozen horror accessed the Earth's plane and turned the hillside of Zalgaa into a frozen wasteland to make the planet hospitable for the Elder Gods. An hero, possibly similar to Kull, came to Zalgara. Using a shield seemingly powered by Valka, he defeated the icy horror that was upon the hills, defeating it into retreat to its voids. Then Yagotha turned the key, closing the Gate upon the Old Ones. 20,000 BC As far as 20,000 BC, the Old Ones were worshiped in the Temple of the Old Ones of the City of the Winged One (near Hyborian Age's River Zarkheba in Kush). Beneath that city, they planted traps to protect their treasures. Age of Kull (18,500 BC) Some men, such as the necromancer Ohris Dehjmal in Valusia, would try to partake from the "wells of evil" left by the Elder Ones, in order to grasp to their power. For his experiments, Dehjmal was sentenced to death. When told of the story of the Old Ones and the unknown hero, ten thousand years ago, King Kull of Valusia stated that he would oppose the Old Ones, if they were to return into the Earth's dimension. Hyborian Age of Conan (10,000 BC) During the Hyborian Age, the Old Ones as a group were unknown of many, and.were considered dead. '' Some Old Ones were sometimes invoked or even summoned or already present on the Earth plane. A few were even gods of cities and official religions.'' Invocations and secret worship To avenge himself from Captain Lupus Dalvalte who tortured him, left him for dead and stole his daughters, Reimos allegedly entered in contact with the Old Ones, the Black Gods of R'Lyeh, the Goat with a Thousand Young and the children of Great Cthulhu, who offered him his spider-infested castle. Gods of cities and official religions Gol-Goroth was the god of darkness in the city of Bal-Sagoth. His cult was administered by the high priest Gothan, and an indestructible idol of him existed within the city. His worship was outlawed by Kyrie (who posed and was worshiped as Aala, the sea goddess). Afterwards, Gol-Goroth manifested itself into Bal-Sagoth before the city's destruction. Thog, the Ancient, was worshiped in the city of Xuthal. In Zemizar, in Zamora, the Goat God was known as Sahb Delanzar, and was a major religion of the city. The Brotherhood of Sahb Delanzar tried to gather the Thousand Young (the One Thousand sacrifices who would constitute the leaders of Sahb Delanzar's avenging army when it would return to claim and/or consume Earth). That plan was foiled by Conan of Cimmeria. 5,800 BC The Unforgiven Dead (also known themselves as the Old Ones), led by Suma-Ket, worshiped the Old Ones. Category:Atlantean Deities Vanaria One of the last active Old One, the Beast-God, lived in the kingdom of Vanaria and was offered sacrifices. He was killed by Beowulf who later killed his ghost-form as well, destroying him. Modern Age The Old Ones' origin was seemingly unknown to the neophytes of this era, though they were still active. 20th century Lovecraft's writings At the time of World War I, a man, stranded on the sea after a German sea raid, eventually found himself on an island in the South Pacific, inhabited by fishmen who worshiped Dagon and offered him sacrifices in the form of fish and drowned men. He witnessed the horrible sacrificial ceremony and by the coming of Dagon, and was subsequently rendered insane by the experience. The man managed to flee the island and found himself in San Francisco, where he tried to learn more about what he had seen, and wrote down his story, until he was found back by the fishmen. That story was later published by H.P. Lovecraft, with the man as narrator, under the title . Lovecraft also wrote about the True Faeries, who were known to him as the Old Ones, while his Earth-1610 counterpart wrote at least on the subject of Zvilpogghua and the great old ones. Shuma-Gorath's return Shuma-Gorath's servant N'Gabthoth awakened, only to be defeated and killed by Doctor Strange. Strange soon also killed Kathulos, who served Shuma-Gorath as well. Later, while fighting Urthona, Strange was forced to destroy many objects of powers to swipe his enemy, but in doing so released many ancient evils (including the water elemental of the Ancients, and the Old Ones, called "ancient evils" or "old horrors"). Strange finally helped Jacob Roark relinquish his magical energies which were keeping together a "thing" from R'lyeh that assaulted him, causing the vanishing of the creature. The Many-Angled Ones whispered their influence to the Captain Marvel of Earth-10011 on his deathbed and convinced him to initiate the ritual of Necropsy that destroyed the avatar of Death and released the Angled-Ones into the universe's plane of existence, causing his universe to eventually become known as the Cancerverse. ... 21th century Asteroth, Chthon and Shuma-Gorath attended the Devil's Advocacy meeting where the demons discussed of the threat posed by the Serpent. | Habitat = | Gravity = | Atmosphere = | Population = | Powers = | Abilities = | AvgStrength = | Weaknesses = | GovernmentType = | TechnologyLevel = The Old Ones created and/or possessed artifacts of power, including the Shining Trapezohedran and the Wings of Needless Sorrow. The Elder Ones created and/or possessed various artifacts of power, including the Gem of Earth Fire, and the Crystal of the Elder Ones. | CulturalTraits = | Representatives = Cthulhu and Shuma-Gorath are considered as archetypal Old Ones. Both Shuma-Gorath and Chthon were considered the greatest of the Old Ones. A few among them have been told to lead their brethren: * Shuma-Gorath was stated to be the Master of the Old Ones. * Oberoth'm'gozz was the True Faery King of the Old Ones. * As Sehdoula, Yog-Sothoth was the Lord of the Dark Ones, the Outsiders. See also the list of known Old Ones. Some beings might be Old Ones, though it hasn't been confirmed so far: * The Dark Gods worshiped by Psyklop are unidentified, and might be any of the Old Ones. *''Possible Old Ones.'' Among the many entities' names invoked by the denizens of the Cancerverse, and presumably those of the Many-Angled Ones, were Kthl, Yot-Soter, Shuma-Gorath, Nyerlathortech, Llehk, Yoggor, and Yoth. | Notes = * The Old Ones are demons of the Third Class, and are considered to be key elements and the most notable among that class. * Despite common elements in origin, there is no evidence that the Old Ones are one and the same race. ** However, they have been described as a race on occasions. * The status of Old One hasn't been seen so far to be transmitted to their direct descendants: The Dweller-in-Darkness (spawn of Cthulhu), Khosatral Khel and Dagoth (spawns of the possible Old One Dagon) have never been stated to be Old Ones themselves as far. * Many of the Old Ones' names end with the syllable "-oth", a constat that led Ian McNee to suspect Hoggoth to be himself an Old One. Original creation * H. P. Lovecraft first mentioned the Old Ones in "The Call of Cthulhu" (1926). * The many-angled ones are fictional beings linked to the Cthulhu Mythos. They first appeared in Grant Morrison's story ''Zenith'' (1987), where they were known as the Lloigor, Cthulhu Mythos creatures created by August Derleth and Mark Schorer in "The Lair of the Star Spawn" (1932). ** The Many-Angled Ones were introduced in Marvel Comics by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, in the cosmic crossover event "Realm of Kings" (2009): In that story, the Many-Angled Ones corrupted a reality, Earth-10011, in a Lovecraftian way, with many names of that world (at least some being those of Many-Angled Ones) evoking the Cthulhu Mythos: Kthl (Cthulhu), Yot-Soter (Yog-Sothoth), Nyerlathortech (Nyarlathotep), Llehk, Yoggor, Yoth. Pastiches Additionally to straight-out appearances, the Old Ones have also appeared as pastiches of some of the original Old Ones. A few groups of beings have been introduced, who are either more or less inspired by the Old Ones, or are them, yet unconfirmed: * The Elder Gods as a general classification (some are straight-out Cthulhu Mythos adaptations, other are more or less inspired by the Old Ones). ** The Elder Gods of Earth, the first beings on Earth. The four surviving Elder Gods spawned demonic races that ruled the planet before the rise of man, and at least some of them were more or less inspired by the Cthulhu Mythos: Chthon was the author of the Darkhold (which was copied by Abdul Alhazred as the Necronomicon) and first black magic practitioner, while Oshtur's name was possibly inspired by Hastur. * The Ancients, who might be contemporary with the Old Ones, or a sub-set from them. ** The Ancients (the same, or another group) lived on the island now known as Island M (a place also related to Shuma-Gorath). ** The [[Ancient Things|'"beings from the stars"' and ancient "things"]], possibly also named the Ancients, founders of R'llyeh (which might the source of all magic, and the origin of the Darkhold and the Necronomicon), who created the vampiric Aqueos from Sh'g'th tissue. Those appear to be inspired both by the Great Old Ones and the Elder Things. * The Dark Gods as a general classification (some are straight-out Cthulhu Mythos adaptations, other are more or less inspired by the Old Ones, and the term Dark Gods is also one of the designations of the Old Ones). ** The Dark Gods worshiped by the Psyklop, an insectoid elder race who ruled Earth before the rise of humanity. * The Undergods, giant monsters and deities. Some of those pantheons and/or groups of mysterious ancient deities may be in fact be part of the Great Old Ones, including the Ancients, the Ancient Ones, the Elder Ones, and the Dark Gods worshiped by the Psyklop. Confusion around the name * Though sometimes described as "elder gods", because of their old age, the Old Ones are to be distinguished from the Elder Gods of Earth. ** However, ''Carnage'' Vol. 2 depicted Chthon as a stand-in for Cthulhu, and mixed Ancients, Great Old Ones, and Elder Gods. * In , the Sons of the Serpent invoked the "Old Ones" and "Cold Ones". ** It is known that the Serpent-Folk are sometimes called "Old Ones". That invocation was presumably headed towards them. | Trivia = | Links = * Great Old One at the H.P. Lovecraft Wiki * Many-Angled Ones at Marvel.com * Many-angled ones and Lloigor at Wikipedia * Great Old Ones/Many-Angled Ones at the Alien Races Wiki * Great Old Ones/Many-Angled Ones at the Villains Wiki * Great Old Ones at the Monster Wiki }} Category:Pantheons Category:Pre-Cataclysmic Age Deities Category:Hyborian Age Deities Category:Cthulhu Mythos Races, Species and Groups Category:Elder Gods Category:Old Ones Worship Category:True Faeries (Old Ones) Category:Interdimensional Races Category:Atlantean Religions Category:Dark Gods Category:Great Old Ones Category:Old Ones Category:Alien Gods Category:Valusian Deities